A CASE STUDY OF GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING AND BUDGETING REFORM

AT LOCAL AUTHORITY IN INDONESIA: AN INSTITUTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE

ALI DJAMHURI

UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA 2009

A CASE STUDY OF GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING AND BUDGETING REFORM AT LOCAL AUTHORITY IN INDONESIA:

AN INSTITUTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE

By

ALI DJAMHURI

Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor Philosophy at the School of Management

Universiti Sains Malaysia

SEPTEMBER 2009

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Bismillahirrahmaanirrahiem

Alhamdulillah! It is only by the grace of Allah Subhanallaahu Wata’ala

who has given me the strength and courage to complete this thesis. Without His

assistance, nothing is possible including the completion of my thesis. My endeavour

to complete this thesis is indeed a long journey. I would not have been possible

without the assistance from Allah and supports from the following persons and

parties who have been there whenever I have been stuck and needed to keep my

mind focused.

First and foremost, I would like to express my profound gratitude to my

supervisors: Dr. Siti Nabiha Abdul Khalid and Associate Professor Dr. Yuserrie

Zainuddin for their guidance, support, patience, preciseness, encouragement and

wisdom, which I personally received throughout the whole process of this thesis.

Their sincerity always helped me back on tract when my attempt to cope with the

academic problems of my study were complex.

Grateful acknowledgment is also extended to Associate Professor Dr.

Zainal Ariffin Ahmad and Dr. Amirulshah who have not only given valuable advices

and insightful suggestions, but also constructive critiques and assessments along the

process of my thesis completion. Their suggestions have been valuable lessons not

only for the mater of this thesis, but – insya Allah - also for my whole scholarship.

My sincere thanks is also to the Dean of the Management School

Associate Professor Dato Dr. Ishak Ismail, the Deputy Dean Dr. Zamri Ahmad, as

well as Professor Dato Dr. Daing Nasir Ibrahim, Professor Dr. Hasnah Haron and

other admirable persons in the school whose good judgment inspired me to finish my

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study. My deep appreciation is also given to Kak Rosnah and Kak Aton at the

administrative section of the school.

My special and deep gratefulness is addressed to my beloved wife,

Wildiana Zuhrina, and to my three utmost lovely children, Khusnaya Adiba, Jeihan

Linan Jinan, and Mazzay Majdi Makarim who have been my firm towers of strength

during my study for doctorate program in USM. Their dependability and mutually

understanding in keeping family life normal will indeed forever in my deep

appreciation. Their patience gave me the strength and eagerness to stay on course.

My mother in law, Hj. Ma’lah and My Father in law, Allahu Yarhamhu H. Munawar,

and all my relatives such as Mas Slamet, Mas Abdul Munif, Kak Maryam, Kak

Nuronah, Kak Nuriyah, dik Eda, dik Wahono, Syaiful, Farchan, Isom, and others are

also deserving of my deep gratefulness. My long absence in front of them might

much regretted.

Besides, I would like to express my deep appreciation and gratefulness to

my institution, the Accounting Department of the Faculty of Economics, Brawijaya

University where there are some highly regarded persons that have given special

support to the completion of my thesis. First, Professor Dr. Harry Susanto, MSI, the

then Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Brawijaya University, who made a fearless

official decision to back my study at USM by a scholarship from the Faculty. My

deep thank and appreciation is also to Professor Dr. Ir. Bambang Guritno, MSc. the

then Rector of the Brawijaya University who gave me permission to do my study at

USM. There is also Professor Dr. Bambang Subroto, MM, Ak. whom my sincere

grateful is also addressed. His commitment to continue providing scholarship for me

enabled my study completed. I am also deeply indebted to Professor Dr. Iwan

Triyuwono, MEc, Ak; Professor Dr. Made Sudarma, MSI, Ak; Dr. Unti Ludigdo,

iv

MSI, Ak; Dr. M. Achsin, MM, Ak; Dr. Eko Ganis Sukoharsono; Dr. Gugus Irianto,

MSA, Ak; Drs. Nurkholis, MBus, AK; Drs. Didied Purnawan Affandi, MBA, Ak;

Drs. Abdul Ghofar, MBA, Ak; Dr. Rosidi, MSI, Ak; Drs. Jusuf Wibisana, MSc; Ak,

Drs. Bogat Agus Riyono, MSA, Ak; and all my colleagues both at the Department of

Accounting and the Faculty of Economics, Brawijaya University, though they have

not been mentioned here, they have given me supports in various aspects.

The completion my study would also have been impossible without

generous supports from following persons and parties. Dr. Supomo Prodjoharjono,

Ak (Pak Pompi) from Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA); Professor Dr. Mardiasmo,

MBA, Ak; Dr. Hekinus Manao, Ak from Ministry of Finance (MoF); Drs. Sukoyo

and Dwi Setiawan Susanto, SE, Maksi, Ak from Supreme Audit Institute (SAI) who

have provided me not only with access to relevant information in the Indonesian

central government, but also personally provided me with specific time to interview

face to face and through internet. Dr. Luqman Hakim, MA is also among the persons

who personally have right to receive my thank and appreciation. He assisted me so

much during my write up process although he was in a hard situation. I am also

deeply indebted to Professor Dr. Slamet Sugiri, MBA, Ak and Profesor Dr. Abdul

Halim, MBA, Ak from Faculty of Economics and Business, Gadjahmada University,

who have assisted me with suggestions and motivation.

Couples friend of mine, specifically who regularly attended Ph.D room of

the School of Management, USM such as Dr. Buyung Sarita; Dr. Syefnedi; Dr. Azmi

Hashim; Dr. Abdurrahman Abdurrohim; Raman Nordin; Fuad, SE, MSI; M.

Pujiharto, SE, AK; Noval Adib, SE, MSI, Ak; Imam Subekti, SE, MSI, Ak; Ir. Iwan

Vanani; DR. Nugroho; Drs. Zainul Bahri, MM; Drs. Hasan Basri, MCom, Ak;

Dr. Alizar; Drs. Aziz Arisudi, MSI; Ir. Ferdinan Murni; Ir. Dedy; Drs. Sunaryo, MSI;

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Daud, Chang, Chutima and other friends who, though not mentioned individually,

supported me sincerely during my long stay at Ph.D room of the school of

Management USM. Their fruitful discussions, humor, and true friendship have made

my stay in the School of Management, USM ”menyenangkan”.

The following persons are also important and to be mentioned here. First, I

would like to thank to Dr. Bambang Hartadi, MSI, Ak; and Mas Priyo from

Yogyakarta University of Technology; Dr. Sudarno, MSI, Ak; Dr. Edy Jusuf; Prof.

Dr. Imam Ghozali, MCom, Hons, Ak; Prof. Dr. Arifin Sabeni, MCom, Ak; and also

Dwi Cahyo Utomo, SE, MA, Ak from Diponegoro University Semarang. They gave

me ample supports to have the endurance to finish my study.

My gratitude and sincere thank is also for Sukria, my secretary at

Accounting and Business Development Center (ABDC), the Faculty of Economic,

Brawijaya University, as well as Mas Didik, Arif, Madhi, Diyan, Vindi, Mirna,

Frinta, Muchid, and others who helped me with various secretarial and clerical

support during my thesis field work and write up. Their sincere, hard working,

truthfulness, and accommodating manner of Sukria and other staff at ABDC enabled

me to visit Ratan Ombo Regency (ROR), my thesis case organization, nearly every

two week throughout the last five years. My access to ROR is also due to the

kindness of the then Head of Finance Division of ROR and all the staff. I feel as it is

not possible to mention all of them here individually not only due to their number,

but also due to my commitment to keep them in their pseudo names. However, their

supports cannot be denied.

Mbak Sasi, Pak Idris, Muchdhar, Neni, Pak Bambang Hariyadi, Tatang,

Kiki, and Fathullah are also persons whom I want to give my thank and appreciation.

They have arranged my schedules at DBSD Accounting Firm that enabled me to

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handle my professional works while I was finishing my research. Without them, I

would have been in a difficult situation.

Las but not least, this thesis is expressly dedicated to the memory of my

mother, Allahu Yarhaamha Hj. Khodijah and my father, Allahu Yarhamhu H. Hasan

Bisri. I believe they would be the happiest parent to know that I have been able to

manage my study and complete my Ph.D. May Allah provide them with a place for

the righteous in heaven. Without the assistance from Allah and their sincere

guidance, it would be impossible to gain this achievement. However, I am in deep

sadness as I could not show this achievement when they were still altogether with

me.

Penang, September 2009

Ali Djamhuri

SED-0205

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii

LIST OF TABLES xi

LIST OF FIGURES xii

LIST OF APPENDICES xiii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xiv

ABSTRAK xxiv

ABSTRACT xxvi

CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION 1

1.0. Background of the Study 1

1.0.1. New Public Management in General 5

1.0.2. NPM implementation in Indonesia 7

1.0.3. Organizational Perspectives of Accounting Reform 12

1.1. Research Objective and Questions 21

1.2. The Outline of the Thesis 23

CHAPTER 2 : NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AND

ACCOUNTING REFORM

27

2.0. Introduction 27

2.1. Factors Behind the Development of NPM 27

2.2. Definition and Characteristics of NPM and Its Implications

toward Public Administration

29

2.2.1. Models of New Public Management 34

2.2.2 . Theoretical Basis of NPM 36

2.3. Accounting Reform Within the context of NPM 41

2.4. Lessons from other Accrual Accounting System Implementation 45

2.5. Indonesian Local Government: Its Structure, Development and

Legal Environment 50

2.5.1. Structure of the Indonesian Government 51

2.5.2. Indonesian Legal Structure 53

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2.5.3. The Legal Development of Indonesian Local

Government 55

2.6. Indonesian Local Government Accounting Reform in the

Context of NPM 64

2.7. Summary 67

CHAPTER 3 : THE NEW INSTITUTIONAL SOCIOLOGY (NIS)

PERSPECTIVE 69

3.0. Introduction 69

3.1. Basic Properties of Institutionalism 69

3.2. Institution and Institutionalization 71

3.3. The Old and the New Institutionalism 75

3.4. Institutionalism and Economics 79

3.5. Accounting Reform in the New Institutional Sociology

Perspective 81

3.6. Arguments for Using New Institutional Sociology 88

3.7. Summary 92

CHAPTER 4 : METHODOLOGY 94

4.0. Introduction 94

4.1. Case Site Selection 95

4.2. Methodological Ramifications of Social Research 96

4.3. Qualitative Research Tradition in Organization Studies 100

4.4. Case Study as the Strategy of Research 104

4.5. Research Design 105

4.5.1. Reflexivity 106

4.5.2. Triangulation of the Evidences 112

4.6. Analysis of the Case 114

4.7. Summary 119

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CHAPTER 5 : CASE FINDINGS – CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

LEVEL 121

5.0. Introduction 121

5.1. Historical Background of Local Government Accounting Reform

in Indonesia 122

5.2. Political Contest around the Local Government Accounting

Reform 136

5.3. Focal Issues in the Institutionalization of Indonesia Government

Accounting Reform – the Central Government Level 143

5.4. The Local Government Accounting Reform and the Roles of

Other Central Government Agencies 150

5.5 Summary 152

CHAPTER 6 : CASE FINDINGS – LOCAL GOVERNMENT (ROR)

LEVEL 155

6.0. Introduction 155

6.1. Historical Background of Local Government In Indonesia 156

6.2. Background Information of Ratan Ombo Regency (ROR) 157

6.2.1. History, Geographical, and Economic Situation of Ratan

Ombo Regency 157

6.2.2. Organization of Ratan Ombo Regency 159

6.3. The Institutionalization Of New Budgeting System In Ratan

Ombo Regency 162

6.4. The Institutionalization of New Accounting System in Ratan

Ombo Regency 173

6. 5. The Restructuring of Ratan Ombo Regency 180

6.5.1. Functional Shift Within Ratan Ombo Regency 183

6.6. The Nature of Accounting Reform In ROR 185

6.7. Summary 196

CHAPTER 7 : THEORETICAL ANALYSIS 199

7.0. Introduction 199

7.1. The Rationale of Accounting Reform 201

7.2. Institutionalization of PBB and Accrual Accounting and

Organizational Change in ROR 211

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7.3. Summary 215

CHAPTER 8 : RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS, LIMITATIONS,

RECOMMENDATIONS, AND CONCLUSION 219

8.0. Introduction 219

8.1. Recapitulation 219

8.2. Research Contributions 2218.2.1. Theoretical Contributions 221

8.2.2. Practical Contribution 224

8.3.

8.4

8.5

Limitation of the Study

Policy and Practical Recommendation

Conclusion

226

227

229

REFERENCES 230

APPENDICES

Appendix A .1 : Ratan Ombo Regency - Summary of Budget 2002 270

Appendix A .2 : Ratan Ombo Regency - Cash Flow Statement for the

Year Ended 31 December 2007 272

Appendix A .3 : Ratan Ombo Regency - Balance Sheet as of 31

December 2006 and 2007 275

Appendix A .4 : Ratan Ombo Regency - Summary of Budget 2008 276

Appendix B : Contrasting Properties of Quantitative and Qualitative

Research Method

278

Appendix C: A Summary of Differences Among the Three Approaches

to Research

279

Appendix D: Data Collection Protocol 280

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LIST OF TABLES

Page

2.1 Perspectives of Public Administration 31

2.2 NPM characteristics proposed by Gruening (2001) and Van Gramberg and Teicher (2000)

33

2.3 A Comparative summary Between Public Choice Economics and Welfare State Economics

39

2.4 Doctrinal Elements of New Public Management 43

2.5 The Hierarchy of Legal Sources in Indonesia. 55

2.6 Official Authorities of Indonesian Local Governments 62

3.1 The Old and the New Institutionalism 71

3.2 The Core Elements of Institutions 72

3.3 A Concise Summary of Institutionalism in Economics and Sociology

82

4.1 Sources and Types of Relevant Documentary Data 109

4.2 Data Collection Methods, the Relevant Research Subjects (Informants), and the Frequency of Data Collection Method Accomplishment 113

5.1 Changes Carried by GR 105 / 2000 and by Kepmendagri No. 29/2002

130

5.2 Relevant Legal Sources of Indonesian Local Government Accounting Reform

147

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LIST OF FIGURES

Page

2.1 Indonesian Government Structure Based on Law No. 32/2004 52

2.2 The Timeline of Relevant Regulations with Indonesian Local Government Accounting Reform

66

3.1 The Institutional Curve 85

4.1 Four Paradigms for the analysis of social theory 102

4.2 Stage in Deriving Themes from Different Sources of Data 118

5.1 Observed Responsible Factors lead to ceremonialization of PBB and Accrual Accounting in ROR

123

5.2 The Development of Regulation Concerning Indonesian Local Government Budgeting and Accounting Reform and Its Data Driven Potential Themes

125

6.1 Organizational Structure of Ratan Ombo Regency Based on Law No.22/1999 and Government Regulation No. 84/2000

160

6.2 Stages and Documentary Synchronization in the Process of Local Government Budgeting Based on Law No. 17/2003, Law No. 25/2004, Law No. 32/2004 and Law No. 33/2004

170

6.3 Institutionalization Process of Local Government Accounting Reform in ROR

177

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LIST OF APPENDICES

Page

Appendix A.1 : Ratan Ombo Regency Summary Budget of 2002 229

Appendix A.2 : Ratan Ombo Regency Cash Flow Statement of 2007 231

Appendix A.3 : Ratan Ombo Regency Balance Sheet of 2007 234

Appendix A.4 : Ratan Ombo Regency Summary Budget of 2008 235

Appendix B : Characteristics of Quantitative, Mixed, and Qualitative Research

236

Appendix C: A summary of Differences Among the Three Approaches to Research

235

Appendix D: Data Collection Protocol 238

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ABRI Angkatan Bersenjata Republik Indonesia or Indonesian Armed Force

ADB Asian Development Bank AKIP Indonesian acronym for Akuntabilitas Kinerja Instansi

Pemerintah or Performance Accountability of the Governmental Agencies

APBD Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Daerah or LocalGovernmental Budget

APBN Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Negara or National Budget

APEKSI Assosiasi Pemerintah Kota Seluruh Indonesia (Indonesian Municipal Association)

APKASI Asosiasi Pemerintah Kabupaten Seluruh Indonesia (Indonesian Rgency Assosiation)

APSI Asosiasi Provinsi Seluruh Indonesia (Indonesian Province Association)

AUSAID Australian Agency for International Development BAGIAN Indonesian term for supporting service unit. That is local

governmental units whose main functions are to support other local government units technically and managerially in the field of secretarial, legal, employment, financial and facilities. In this thesis, BAGIAN is also indicated for Division.

BAPPEDA Is an Indonesian acronym for Badan Perencanan Pembangunan Daerah or Local Development Planning Agency

BAPPENAS Is an Indonesian acronym for Badan Perencanan Pembangunan Nasional or National Development Planning Agency. The agency is always chaired by a non departmental (state) minister, the State Minister of Development Planning (SMDP).

Berimbang In proportion, balanced. In the context of Indonesian governmental budgeting, the term is used in "balanced budgeting approach", an approach of budgeting where total revenue should be in equal to total expenditure. This approach of budgeting has been previously used in Indonesia, including what was mandated by MAKUDA.

Bina Marga Section of the Department of Public Work. In Local government context, it is a section of the Public Work Local Government Functional Unit specializing on building and maintaining roads

BPD Bank Pembangunan Daerah or Local Governmental Development Bank

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BPKAD Badan Pengelola Keuangan dan Aset Daerah or Local Government Agency (Board) for Managing Finance and Assets. Ratan Ombo Regency uses Badan Pengelola Keuangan dan Kekayaan Daerah abreviated to BPKKD but both are actually the same thing. It is a fusion of whole functions of Finance Division, whole functions of Income Generating Unit and asset-related (limited) function of General and Asset Division.

BPKKD See BPKADBPKP Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan dan Pembangunan (Audit

Agency for Finance and Dvelopment), the government internal audit unit.

BPKRI Badan Pengawas Keuangan Republik Indonesia or Indonesian Supreme Audit Institution (ISAI), in this thesis ISAI is used interchangebly with BPKRI.

Bupati Regent, the head of a regency. Kabupaten or regency is an autonomous territory that legally comprises of more than 4 kecamatan

Camat Chief Administrative Government official of kecamatan CIDA Canadian International Development Agency. Daerah Region, The term is used to denote a subdivision of

central government, or a territory. Specifically in Indonesian laws and regulations, Daerah denotes more to local government than to region which also means wilayah

DAK Dana Alokasi Khusus or Specic Allocated Fund (SAF), a type of transfer to local government under certain condition met with the characteristics of certain local governments, for instance specific fund for reforestation

DASK Dokumen Anggaran Satuan Kerja or Organizational Unit's Budget Document. It is used to document an approved budgeted activity. In the newest regulation, this type of document is known as DPA-SKPD (see in this list)

DAU Dana Alokasi Umum or Generally Allocated Fund (GAF). GAF is a type of fund transferred from central government to any local government. The fund is designed to compensate the LG fiscal gap. Thus the higher the fiscal gap, the higher the GAS received by a local government.

DBHPSDA Dana Bagi Hasil Pajak dan Sumber Daya Alam or Tax Revenue Appropriation and Natural Resource Fund (TRANRF) is transferred fund from central government to local government based on local government's capacity to earn national income tax as well as its capacity in earning from natural resource products, such as mineral, lumber and petroleum

Dekonsentrasi Deconcentration, a state administration term to mean a governmental authority transfer from central government to a governor in his or her capacity as the representative of the central government

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Desentralisasi Decentralization is governmental authority transfer from central government to an autonomous local government where the authority becomes local government’s authority

Depdagri Departemen Dalam Negen. Ministry of Home Affairs, in this thesis is abbreviated to be MoHA

Depkeu Departemen Keuangan. Ministry of Finance, in this thesis is abbreviated to be MoF

Desa Javanese word for a village or rural community, often used interchangeably with kelurahan

Dinas Local Government Functional Unit, that is a local government unit whose main functions is to perform an authority in providing certain type of public service.

DIP Daftar Isian Proyek. A List of Approved Project Activities

DPA-SKPD Dokumen Pelaksanaan Anggaran - Satuan Kerja Perangkat Daerah or Local Government Organizational Unit's Budget Working Paper. This document is used to be the basis for performing of every budgeted activity. It may contain revenue or expenditure or both of them of the designated activity. So under performance based budgeting, LG budget is merely a collection of approved Local Government Organizational Unit's Budget prepared in this document.

DPR Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat or Indonesian ParliamentDPRD Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah or Local Parliament.

Anggota DPRD. Local Parliament Member. The members of local parliament consist of local politicians representing national political parties in an administrative area such as regency or municipality

DUKDA Daftar usulan kegiatan Daerah or Local Government list of activity proposal

DUPDA Daftar Usulan Proyek daerah or Local Government List of Project Applications (proposals)

GAGAS Generally Accepted Governmental Accounting Standards GASC Governmental Accounting Standards Committee, an

independent and exclusive committee established in 2002 by Indonesian Government to set up and promulgate GAGAS. In Indonesian acronym, GASC is known as PSAP stands for Panitia StandarAkuntansi Pemerintahan.

GBHN Garis BesarHaluan Negara or Broad Outlines of State Policy

GOLKAR Golongan Karya (functional group). It is the name of a political parry in contemporary Indonesian era. When it was established in October 1964, it was known as SEKBERGOLKAR (seckretariat bersama golongan karya)or joint secretariat of functional group, a federated community organization consisted of 20 NGOs specifically instituted to prevent the influence of communistic ideology brought mainly by Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

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IAA Indonesian Accountants Association, the only professional accountant organization in Indonesia. It was established in 1955, a year after Law concerning the usage of accountant title was legislated. Internal of IAA there are organizational chapters, known as compartments, such as public accountant, management accountant, academic accountant, and lately government accountant.

IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development or also known as the World Bank

ICW lndonesische Comptabiliteit Wet. The Dutch colonial law for commerce and book keeping.

IMF International Monetary Fund ILPPD Informasi Laporan Penyelenggaraan Pemerintahan Daerah

or Local Government Performance Report. Information concerning performance of local government that delivered to public through local mass media (electronic or printed).

JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency Juknis ands for petunjuk teknis or technical guideline. It is a

gulation derived from a government regulation specifically ued to ease technically the implementation of a certain type procedure mandated by the government regulation.

Kabupaten Regency. An administrative (government) authority below provincial government. In the hierarchy of Indonesian governmental structure, kabupaten is in parallel with kota or municipality, they comprise of couples of kecamatan.

Kantor Office. In local governmental context, the term is used to mean an organizational unit in local government providing a specific type of public service such as Office of Electronic Data Services

Karesidenan Karesidenan is a level of Indonesian governmental structure inherited from Dutch colonial era when the Dutch Government initially only structured its to government be governor general in Batavia and supported by couples of residences. In its development, along with accommodating the then existing Javanese Kingdom rooted local governments in form of kadipaten (kabupaten) and kawedanan, the Dutch includes kabupaten under Karesidenan and Kawedanan under Kabupaten. In the early of modern Indonesia, the authority of both karesidenan and kawedanan have been lessened to be merely coordination and ceremonial

Kawedanan Sub-district. An administrative (government) authority below regency or kabupaten coordinating couples of kecamatan. In Dutch Colonial era up to 1970s kawedanan was so powerful than kecamatan which was only the assistant of kawedanan. Started in 1980s the political and administrative power of wedono, the chief officer of kawedanan, was so insignificant. Now, they are even ceased to exist further.

Kecamatan Kecamatan is a territorial jurisdiction chaired by a Camat(district assistant). It is normally a part of regency or municipality. Kecamatan consists of couples of Desa(villages) or kelurahan, the lowest hierarchy of governmental jurisdiction in Indonesia.

xviii

Kepala Daerah Regional or Local Government Head. He or she can be Mayor, Regent, or Governor. The term is never used to mean President, Camat or kepala desa (lurah).

Kepmen Indonesian acronym for Keputusan Menteri or Minister's Decision, for example Minister of Home Affairs' decision No. 29/2002 concerning the guidance for local government budget preparation, financial management, reporting and responsibility. Kepmen is normally used to elaborate technically one or more regulations mentioned in a higher rank legal source, such as Peraturan Pernerintah or Governmental Regulation In the domain of ministry of finance, kepmen is almost never used instead of KMK(Keputusan Menteri Keuangan) or Minister of Finance's Decision

KKN Korupsi, Kolusi dan Nepotisme, an Indonesian acronym to denote corruption, collusion and nepotism (CCN).

Kota City or a municipality. Kota is chaired by wali kota or a mayor. Compared to kabupaten, kota is smaller in term of its territory or number of sub-municipality, but it is in parallel with kabupaten in term of hierarchy in governmental jurisdiction. Both of kabupaten and kota are autonomous local governments and comprise of a certain number of kecamatan.

KUAAPBD Acronym for Kebijakan Umum dan Arah Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja daerah ( the general policy and direction of local government budget). The policy and direction are packaged in a planning document with a similar name.

LAKIP Indonesian acronym for Laporan Akuntabilitas Kinerja instansi Pemerintah or the Report of Performance Accountability of the Governmental Agencies

LKPJ Laporan Keterangan Pertanggungjawaban or Statement of Deliberation on Responsibility. The statement that contains detailed information about governmental performance along the designated period should be submitted by Chief of local government to local parliament. This type of statement is also prepared by the chief of local government at every the end of his or her office.

LPPD Laporan Penyelenggaraan Pemerintahan Daerah or Local Government Performance Report. This report contains information about governmental performance along a designated period and should be prepared by the chief of local government to be submitted to central governmental.

LRAPBD Laporan Realisasi Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Daerah or Statement of Local Government Budget Realization. To a certain extent, specifically in private sector context, it is equal to Profit and Loss Statement.

Medebewind Dutch terminology absorbed by Indonesian language to denote the power of local government to perform duties delegated to it by central government or by a higher level of local government, see Tugas Pembantuan.

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MAKUDA Is Indonesian acronym for Manual Administrasi Keuangan Daerah or Manual for Local Government Financial Administration. The manual was developed in 1980 by the Ministry of Home Affairs in relying to Law No..5 of 1974 as well as Government Regulation No. 5 and No. 6 of 1976. It was implemented since 1983. According to this manual, local government budget is prepared on the basis of incremental and line item approach; and the accounting system applied is cash basis as well as single entry. (For more detailed, see Prodjoharjono, 2003)

MCBA Stands for Modified Cash Basis Accounting. Current model of Indonesian local government accounting system is following MCBA. It is an accrual basis at the end of financial statement preparation, but utilizing cash basis to record financial transaction along the accounting period. The accrual results are obtained through performing adjustment journals

MoF Ministry of Finance or in Indonesian terminology is Departemen Keuangan

MoHA Ministry of Home Affairs or in Indonesian terminology is Departemen Dalam Negeri

MPR Majlis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or People Consultative Assembly, the highest institution in the Indonesian state hierarchy

NCE Neo Classical Economics NIE New Institutional Economics NIS New Institutional Sociology NPM New Public Management OECD Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development OIE Old Institutional Economics Otonomi Autonomous, self governed Pajak Tax. This term is used normally to denote national tax, that

is tax levied by central government. Pajak Daerah Local or Regional Tax. This term is specifically used to

denote local taxes levied by local government or authority. Instead of local tax, each local government also has legal right to earn from retribusi (rate) levied from any consumer of a certain line of public services.

PAKTO 83 Indonesian acronym for Paket Oktober 1983, a package of banking policies set by Indonesian Central Bank and Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia to deregulate Indonesian banking industry

PAKTO 88 Indonesian acronym for Paket Oktober 1988, a package of banking policies set by Indonesian Central Bank and Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia to deregulate Indonesian banking industry

Panggar Panggar is a typical acronym in the context of local government to denote to Panitia Anggaran, a special committee responsible to coordinate budgeting process within local parliament. In the executive domain, the equal one is known as Tim Anggaran Eksekutif (executive budgeting team).

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PBBS Performance Based Budgeting System, a budgeting system that emphasizes not only to its relationship with organizational vision, mission and objectives, but also on the importance of budgeted activities' performance identified in input, output, outcome, impact and benefit. The system utilizes performance indicators for input, process, output, outcome, impact, and benefit inherently in its preparation and reporting documents. ln this thesis, performance based budgeting system (PBBS) in interchangeably used with performance based budgeting (PBB).

Perda Stands for Peraturan Daerah or Local Government Regulation (LGR). The regulation is enacted through local parliament decision. it is the highest rank of regulation in the jurisdiction of regency or a municipality. For simplicity, in this thesis, perda is presented by LGR followed by its corresponding no. and year after/sign

Permendagri Peraturan Menteri Dalam Negeri or Minister of Home Affairs' (MoHA) Regulatioan

PP Stands for Peraturan Pemerintah or government regulation(GR). The regulation is a more elaborate and technical. It is derived from Law and intended to provide technical guidance in order to ease the implementation of the law. In this thesis all peraturan Pemerintah wili be presented by GR followed by it corresponding no. and year after / sign.

PPAS Prioritas dan Plafon Anggaran Sementara or Priority and Interim Budget Ceiling. This document is planning document used to limit budget user in term of area that can be proposed as program as well as budget ceiling for those proposed programs. When PPAS is approved, it becomes PPA or Priority and Budget Ceiling. PPA is the source from where RKA-SKPD is prepared

Propeda Program Pembangunan Daerah (Local Governmental Development Programs). A planning document elaborating

Raperda Rancangan Peraturan Daerah. Draft of Local Government Regulation. As local government budget should be legalized through a local government regulation, there is Raperda specifically devoted to facilitate it, that is Raperda APBD or Draft of Local Government Regulation for Local Government Budget

Renja Rencana Kerja (Work Plan). Under current regulations, both local government and each organizational unit should have its own Renja. See RKP and RKPD in this glossary

Renstrada Rencana Strategis Daerah or local government strategic plan. It is an undetachable part of strategic planning documents for a local government. Instead of Renstrada,there is also Renstra SKPD

Renstra SKPD Rencana Strategis Satuan Kerja Perangkat Daerah(Organizational Unit Strategic Plan).

Repelita Rencana Pembangunan Lima Tahun. Five-year Development Plan. From 1969/70 to the middle of 1990s, Suharto's administration had succeded in carrying out repelita up to the fifth repelita

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RKA-SKPD Rencana Kerja dan Anggaran - Satuan Kerja Perangkat Daerah or Local Government Organizational Unit's Budget and Action Plan. This document is normally used to propose local government organizational unit's activities to be budgeted in LG's budget. When the proposed activity is accepted and legalized as a part of LG budget, then the document changes to be DKA-SKPD

RKP Rencana Kerja Pemerintah or Government Action Plan. In the context of local government, this term its changed toward RKPD standing for Rencana Kerja Pemerintah Daerah or Local Government Action Plan. This plan is annual development plan prepared by local government.

ROR Ratan Ombo Regency, a pseudo name for a regency in East Java where this thesis study is located

RPJM Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Menengah or Midrange Development Plan. This term is used specifically for central national context. When it is applied for local government, the term is usually added by suffix D becomes RPJMD todenote that it is for the context of Daerah or local government. The time span of the plan is normally five years,

RPJP Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Panjang or Longterm Development Plan. This term is used specifically for national context. When it is applied for local government, the term is usually added by suffix of D becomes RPJPD to denote that it is for the context of Daerah or local government. The time span of this document is normally 15 - 25 years. Both RPJP and RPJM were formerly known as GBHN (Garis Besar Haluan Negera) or Broad Outline of Sate Policies

RPP Rancangan Peraturan Pemerintah. Draft of Government Regulation

SAIP Sistem Akuntansi Instansi Pemerintah or Governmental Agency Accounting System. This term is used specifically to denote to a budgeting and accounting system for central governmental agency developed by MoF.

SAPD Sistem Akuntansi Pemerintah Daerah or Local Government Accounting System. This term is used specifically to denote to a budgeting and accounting system for local government developed by MoF. Sometime it is also called as SIMKD stands for SistemInformasi Manajemen Keuangan Daerah (Local Government Financial Management System). In this thesis it is used interchangeably.

Sekda Sekretaris Daerah. Local Government Secretary. Provincial, Regency and Municipality; each has its own sekda. Sekda is different with setda (sekretariat daerah),a term to indicate the office of sekda. Normally setda consists of some suboffices called bagian or divisional part, such as bagian keuangan (finance division), bagian kepegawaian (personnel division), bagian hukum dan perundangan (Legal and Regulation division), and bagian umum dan perlengkapan (General Administrative and Asset Management).

xxii

SDO Subsidi daerah Otonom. Local Governmental Subsidy from Central Government particularly given to Provincial Government

SPD Surat Penyediaan Dana or Letter for Fund Provision is document used to inform budget user that there is fund available to perform budgeted activities. This document is issued by the regent as the authority owner in local government financial management

SKPD Satuan Kerja Perangkat Daerah or Local Government Organizational Unit. This term is used to denote into any local government organizational unit, so it includes functional unit, office, board, division, hospital, and even local government owned companies.

SPJ Surat Pertanggungjawaban or Letter of Responsibility Discharge. This document is used to report financial aspect of the performance of a planned activity. SPJshould be prepared and submitted by responsible unit of local government performing the activity by attaching all relevant documents both operationally and financially.

SPK Satuan Pemegang Kas or Cash Custodian Unit, a unit established in accord to Kepmendagri No. 29/2002 to handle financial management of a local government organizational unit. By establishing this unit, all financial affairs of the LG organizational unit are carried out centrally by the custodian unit instead of entrenched to each project as previously practiced. Normally this unit consists of five personnels whose members are book keeper, document preparer, payroll administrator, cashier, and the chairman called as cash custodian.

SPM Standar Pelayanan Minimum or Minimum Service Requirement Standard. Minimum level of service quality that should be provided by any public service provider or by local government organizational unit. SPM is a complimentary tool in order to have performance based budgeting system is effectively and efficiently performed. In documentary context, the term of SPM is also used to designate to a document prepared by LG organizational unit to ask for cash from LG general treasurer.

SP2D Surat Perintah Pencairan Dana.This document is prepared by Financial Division as the local government general treasurer to issue local government cash to finance a budgeted activity under responsibility of a local government organizational unit

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TAP MPR Stands for Ketetapan Majlis Permusyawaratan Rakyator a Legal Statement of the People Consultative Assembly concerning state governance. The statement is acceptable as the second source of legal grounding after constitution from where laws are originated. The statement is distinguished from Keputusan MPR, whichis the decision of the assembly that purely internal in purpose.

Tugas Pembantuan Is an order of a higher government to its lower government to perform a specific task.

UU Undang-undang. Law.

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KAJIAN KES PEMBAHARUAN PERAKAUNAN DAN BELANJAWAN KERAJAAN DI KERAJAAN TEMPATAN INDONESIA :

SATU PERSPEKTIF INSTITUSIONALIS

ABSTRAK

Kajian kes interpretif ini adalah mengenai pembaharuan perakaunan kerajaan

tempatan di Jawa Timur, Indonesia, bernama samaran Ratan Ombo Regency (ROR).

Sejak tahun 2001 kerajaan pusat Indonesia telah mengenalkan belanjawan

berasaskan prestasi (PBB) dan perakaunan berasaskan akruan akaun bergu (accrual

accounting) kepada kerajaan-kerajaan tempatan. New Institutional Sociology (NIS)

seperti disarankan oleh DiMaggio & Powell (1991) dan pendekatan proses oleh

Pettigrew (1997) digunakan oleh kajian ini untuk memahmi pembaharuan tersebut

dengan melihat bagaimana sistem belanjawan dan perakaunan yang baru

diinstitusionalisasikan oleh ROR dengan ciri-ciri teknikal dan budaya sosialnya.

Hasil diperolehi menunjukkan pendekatan pembaharuan yang cepat, intensif, dan

meluas yang dijalankan dalam tempoh yang singkat hanya boleh

menginstitusionalisasikan sistem yang baru secara ‘upacara’, iaitu sistem baru yang

terasing dari realiti budaya sosial ROR. Walaupun sistem yang baru telah mencabar

institusi-institusi lama, tetapi kekurangan kuantiti dan kualiti staf perakaunan ROR,

kekakuan budaya birokratik, serta kesan konsep Jawa ‘pangreh praja’ dan ‘pamong

praja’, menyebabkan pembaharuan tersebut gagal menjadikan sistem baru sebagai

institusi penting ROR. Institusionalisasi tersebut telah memberi “pengalaman yang

berharga” bagi ROR iaitu apabila sebahagian ahli politiknya didapati bersalah

mengikut undang-undang berhubungan dengan soalan belanjawan yang baru.

Kekurangan penggunaan dan ketidak jelasan maklumat kewangan dalam membuat

keputusan, kecuali maklumat wang tunai, dikeranakan posisi ketergantungan secara

kewangan kerajaan tempatan kepada kerajaan pusat, telah mengasingkan sistem baru

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di ROR. Sungguhpun, peningkatan gerakan anti rasuah dan audit ole pihak kerajaan,

merupakan pendorong penting untuk mengetatkan hubungan antara sistem baru

dengan nilai-nilai asasnya.

xxvi

A CASE STUDY OF GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING AND BUDGETING REFORM AT LOCAL AUTHORITY IN INDONESIA:

AN INSTITUTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE

ABSTRACT

This interpretive case study is about accounting reform in a local government in East

Java, Indonesia, whose pseudo name is Ratan Ombo Regency (ROR). Since 2001

Indonesian central government have introduced Performance based budgeting (PBB)

and accrual double entry accounting to its local governments. New Institutional

Sociology (NIS) as suggested, among others, by DiMaggio and Powell (1991), as

well as the processual approach by Pettigrew (1997) are used to understand how the

PBB and accrual accounting have been institutionalized in ROR with its technical

and socio cultural characteristics. It is found that rapid, intensive, and extensive

reform approach applied within a relatively short time period have only succeeded in

institutionalizing the new systems ceremonially. The systems are loosely coupled

from the existing ROR’s socio cultural realities. Though the new systems have

challenged existing institutions in ROR, however, due to insufficient quantity and

quality of ROR’s staff in accounting, rigidity of its bureaucratic culture, and the

influence of Javanese concepts such as “pangreh praja” and “pamong praja”, it

failed to be embedded in the organization life of ROR. Such institutionalization has

given ROR an “unforgettable” experience, specifically when their several politicians

were legally guilty connecting with budget issues. Low level and unclear usage of

financial statements in decision making particularly due to its high financially

dependent to central government was another cause for decoupling the new systems

in ROR. Nevertheless, Increased anti corruption moves and audit by the government,

seemed to be significant factors in attaching the new systems with their underpinning

values.

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter describes the background and the objectives of the study. The chapter

begins with a brief discussion about new public management (hereafter NPM) as an

international movement in public sector organizations in which contemporary

accounting reform, i.e. the implementation of both performance based budgeting

system (hereafter PBBS or simply PBB) and accrual and double entry local

government accounting (hereafter accrual accounting), is a prominent agenda in

achieving its objectives. Since the international proliferation of NPM closely relates

to the phenomena of globalization and decentralization, this chapter also covers the

historical setting of NPM and its association with both globalization and

decentralization. The inclusion is important to give a clear understanding about the

role of PBBS and accrual accounting systems in decentralization. Finally, this

chapter discusses in detail the objectives and outline of the thesis.

1.0. Background of the Study

Within public sector literatures, NPM is also known as “managerialism”, “post

bureaucratic”, “market based public administration”, “new public sector paradigm”,

“accountingization”, “new paradigm”, “marketization of public sector”, “public

sector reform”, and also “privatization (Hood, 1995). The development of NPM

where accounting reform is its central agenda closely relates to the advancement of

globalization (Cope, Leishman, & Starie, 1997; Common, 1998; Farazmand, 1999;

Guillen, 2001; Munck, 2002; Beeson, 2003; and Klingner, 2004). Many authors

argue that the progression of both globalization and NPM relate to the revival of neo

liberal ideology (Farazmand, 1999; Larbi, 1999; and Guillen, 2001). In parallel with

the neo liberalists’ ideation of “freedom”, “individualism”, “free enterprise”, and

2

“plural democracy” (Farazmand, 1999, p. 511), they believe that the role of the

public sector should be minimal (Farazmand, 1999; Stiglitz, 2002; Fukuyama, 2003;

and Fiss & Hirsch, 2005); NPM is a reasonable template to achieve that goal. Thus,

globalization and NPM create a common logic by which the current reality of public

sector management is generally fabricated.

In general, neo liberalists continuously try to revisit purer capitalistic

economic model and more liberal politics (Dixon, Kouzmin, & Korac-Kakabadse,

1998; and Kouzmin, 2007). Thus, they idealize the market as single economic and

social mechanism. In the public sector, they infuse their ideological doctrines

through the public choice model of governance, where economics and positivistic

methodological principles such as methodological individualism, objectivity, and

moral neutrality are applied in the domain of non market decision making, i.e. politic

and bureaucratic (Lane, 1995). Although the suitability of public choice and its claim

of moral neutrality are still questionable beyond the western culture, as the

mainstream ideological philosophy of the west, the public choice model has been

promoted intensively by the IMF, World Bank, as well as USAID to be the only

theoretical model of current public sector governance. Thus, to a large extent, NPM

is indebted to public choice theory.

During the 1970s, Ronald Reagan in the USA and Margaret Thatcher in the

UK who represented the “right wing” of neo liberalists, both contributed

significantly in propelling the process of globalization. Through the Washington

Consensus, globalization is used as a vehicle to liberalize the world for the interest of

neo liberalists or the right wing conservatives (Azam, 2005). Common (1996),

Stiglitz (2002), and also Babbs & Chorev (n.d.), consider that NPM is a “global new

right project”. In this context, public sector accounting reform, of which one of its

3

main goals is to transform the public sector accounting model toward a more

business-like model, was viewed as a reasonable agenda by which NPM, in

particular, and globalization, in general, can easily achieve their essential goal -

creating “minimal states” all over the world through the implementation of

privatization, downsizing, decentralization, deregulation, output and result

orientation, cost recovery, and quality oriented in serving citizen as customer

(Siddiquee, 2006; and Ellwood & Newberry, 2007). According to Cope, Leishman

& Starie (1997), neo liberalists strongly believe that the private sector and market

system are the best places from which the public sector should seek valuable guides.

Their well-known slogans include “private good, public bad”, “competition”,

“decentralization”, and “fragmentation.

As a result of the Asian economic crisis in 1997, Indonesia has experienced

a slumpy economy. Unfortunately, ten years after the crisis, when the economy of its

neighbouring countries has recovered, Indonesia has been making tough working to

free itself from the severity of the crisis. Although most of the driving factors of the

crisis were identified as internal, some were also external such as globalization (Gill,

1998; Sangkoyo, 1999; Halim, 2000; Kristiansen & Trijono, 2005; and Kuncoro,

2006). Compared to South East Asian countries, the Indonesian crisis was not only

more pervasive in its scope, but also more devastating in every respect. It resulted in

a multidimensional crisis.

According to analysts, the root of the Indonesian multi dimensional crisis

relates mostly with the then weak Indonesian public governance (Gill, 1998;

Tabalujan, 2002; Beeson, 2003; Hadiz & Robison, 2005; and Davidsen, Juwono, &

Timberan, 2006) such as a low level of transparency, a high level of corruption and a

lack of “legal culture”. Based on that, post Soeharto Indonesian governments have

4

set an agenda to reform the Indonesian public sector, including its governmental

accounting, to restore its economic condition. Literatures on NPM such as Borins

(1998) and Cheung (2002) demonstrate that, in general, the basic reason behind most

Asian countries embarkation on NPM programmes are the motivation to have their

institutions more responsive to global market demand, to curb corruption as well as

to improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the governmental agency’s

services.

Unlike Singapore and Malaysia which reformed their public sector earlier

and in a relatively more controllable situation (Beaglehole, 1976; Cheema &

Hussein, 1978; Ahmad Sarji, 1995; Halligan, 1995; Borins, 1998; Tayib, Coombs, &

Ameen, 1999; Ang, Davies, & Finlay, 2001; Siddiquee, 2006; Othman et al., 2007;

and Saleh, 2007), Indonesian public sector reform underwent a difficult situation

where there were not many options available to do it independently.

The severity of the crisis led Indonesia to demand for the assistance of the

IMF. As a standardized procedure, Indonesia was forced by the IMF to implement a

set of prerequisite conditionality, generally claimed by the IMF to succeed in

recovering the economy. One established agenda was for public sector reform. This

is why the Indonesian public sector reform programmes resemble the programmes of

other IMF beneficiary countries. Many critical observers, among others Farazmand

(1999), Larbi (1999), Mayer & Mormouras (2005), Nis (2006) and Best (2007) are

wary that the IMF really do it for the benefit of beneficiary countries. Normally, the

IMF presets a standardized agenda of reform and leaves its beneficiary countries in a

position with only limited choices. Hadiz & Robison (2005) critically demonstrate

how deep the IMF and World Bank have contrived the Indonesian attempts to

5

recover its economy in post crisis era. In their article entitled “Neo-liberal Reforms

and Illiberal Consolidations: The Indonesian Paradox” (2005). They said:

“A second wave of market reform, more thoroughly influenced by neoclassical economics, followed the dramatic collapse of oil prices in 1982 and 1986. Technocrats were able to push through a series of reforms in trade, banking, finance and to eliminate many state monopolies as Indonesia’s state revenues and foreign earnings came under threat. But it was after the economic crisis of 1997–98 that neo-liberal reformers seized the policy levers in the most decisive way (italic added). With its economy and its currency in crisis, its corporate giants paralysed by debt and the Soeharto regime itself unravelling, the Indonesian government was forced to agree to extensive IMF demands for reform (italic added). These included more deregulation, dismantling the state owned sector, introducing institutional reforms in banking and public management and, significantly, diluting central state authority.” (Hadiz & Robison, (2005, p. 221)

Based on that, it is understandable that a combination of the difficult

internal situation and unpalatable external pressures had been colouring the

complexity of the Indonesian contemporary public sector reform, either at the central

or local government level. Put in a broader perspective, for example within the

ASEAN region, these causes might be the main reasons behind Indonesia’s

minimum result in achieving good governance as well as the lack of improvement in

the public service.

1.0.1. New Public Management in General

Given the fact that NPM has been popular since the 1990s as a relatively

functional template for public sector improvement (Rosenbloom & Yaroni, 1992),

and the fact that a large number of academics and professionals work in the area, it is

quite surprising that its definition has not been generally conclusive (McCourt, 2002;

and Siddiquee, 2006). Most literatures about NPM only mention the basic tenets or

main characteristics. Among them are Rosenbloom & Yaroni (1992), Hood (1995),

Behn (1998), Barzelay (2000), and also Gruening (2001). Therefore, NPM is

essentially not a mono-interpretative, but rather a multi-interpretative term that

flexibly covers any initiatives carried by the government of a country to transform its

6

public/governmental sector to be more market oriented. Since the scope of NPM is

so broad, various disciplines and perspectives can be used to analyse or study NPM.

However, as pointed out by Siddiquee (2006, p. 339), the essence of NPM is “the

application of private sector values and management tools in the public sector and

the delivery of public services through market mechanisms”.

According to Gruening (2001), the origin of NPM can be traced back to the

premiership of Margaret Thatcher during the 1970s in Britain. During the the 90s,

other international donors such as USAID, ODA, CIDA, AUSAID, GTZ and also

ADB (Osborne & Gaebler, 1992; Broadbent & Laughlin, 1998; Larbi, 1999;

Broadbent, Jacobs, & Laughlin, 2001; Borins, 2002; Caramanis, 2002; Dawson &

Dargie, 2002; Farlie & Fitzgerald, 2002; Roukis, 2006; Watkins & Arrington, 2007;

and Babb & Chorev, n.d) also promoted NPM, particularly by including it as a

component of their conditionality. Yet, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada are

among intensive NPM adopters whose implementation models had been referred to

by other late adopters internationally (Aucoin, 1995; Cope et al., 1997; Borins, 1998;

Ball, Dale, Eggers, & Sacco, 2000; Gendron, Cooper, & Townley, 2001; Anderson,

Griffin, & Teicher, 2002; Carroll & Steane, 2002; Barton, 2003; Carlin, 2003;

Annisette, 2004; and Barton, 2007).

Meanwhile, a combination of strong neo liberal spirit, conservatism,

supremacy in economy, military, media, and accounting or consulting firms, as well

as the UK and the US domination in global institutions such as the IMF, World

Bank, and WTO, had proliferated NPM more extensively, specifically post the

Washington consensus in 1989 when the IMF and World Bank were more powerful

in dictating their beneficiaries through their “conditionality”. Given that the number

of such donors’ beneficiaries increased significantly around 1990s, the NPM as a

7

model of public sector reform reached countries in Africa (Hope, 2001; McEwan,

2003; and Nze & Nikamnebe, 2003), Latin America (Barzelay, 2000), South and

South East Asia (Ahmad Sarji, 1995; Cheung, 2002; McCourt, 2002; Turner, 2002;

Hadiz & Robison, 2005; Tayler, 2005; Kristiansen & Santoso, 2006; and Othman et

al., 2007), as well as Northern, Central and Eastern Europe (Bergevarn, Mellemvik,

& Olson, 1995; Barlow & Röber, 1996; Monsen & Olson, 1996; Green-Pedersen,

2002; Luder, 2002; Schedler, 2002; Caperchione, 2003; Schedler, 2003; Frølich,

2005; and Reichard, 2006).

Conceptually, as mentioned by Hood (1995), NPM was initially an

alternative of public administration paradigm (PAP). PAP was mostly applied in

welfare states, and, - as mentioned - neo liberalists viewed the welfare state model of

governance as irresponsive, inefficient, unproductive, inflexible and ineffective

(Behn, 1998). Originally, the emergence of NPM was to correct the PAP’s

shortcomings (Beeson, 2003). Indeed, it wasnot only the PAP that was reformed by

the NPM but also the model of public governance.

1.0.2. NPM implementation in Indonesia

Before the Asian economic crisis in the middle of the 1990s, Indonesia was one of

the Asian Tigers after Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, and the Philippine (Stiglitz,

2002). In citing Boorman and Hume (n.d.), even assert that the then Indonesian

economic achievement was spectacular compared to Nigeria which commenced its

development programmess at the same time and with almost similar characteristic in

their economic starting point (Stiglitz, 2002). For Indonesia, the crisis had ruined not

only its economy, but also its politics, social, environment, as well as legal culture.

Therefore, from President Habibie’s era to date, the Indonesian participation in

various parts of NPM was not comparable with those carried out by the UK, the

8

USA, Australia, New Zealand, and – to a certain extent – even by Malaysia. The

Indonesian approach to NPM resembles what Larbi (1999) refers to as a “crisis

state” approach to NPM. Among others, this approach is characterized by its serious

attempts to speed up its economic recovery through various capitalistic and liberal

initiatives such as decentralization; privatization, economic deregulation, as well as

implementation of performance based budgeting and accrual public sector

accounting.

Since the crisis is multi dimensional in nature, the reform to recover does

not limit its scope to the economic sphere, but also covers such areas as politics,

legal, as well as public administration. Accordingly, during the general assembly

session of 1998, Majlis Permusyawaratan Rakyat (People Consultative Assembly)

amended the Indonesian constitution in order to provide a legal basis for reforming

the public sector. Three assembly statements (No. X/1998, No.XI/1998 and No.

XV/1998) deal with the Indonesian public sector reform. First, statement No. X/1998

mandates the government to reform development programmes to revive and

normalize national life. Second, statement No. XI/1998 instructs the government to

abolish the practice of corruption, collusion and nepotism. Third, statement No.

XV/1998 which contains a strong recommendation for the local government to

implement principles of autonomy, good management, fair allocation and utilization

of national resources, as well as the accomplishment of fiscal balance between

central and local government.

In its progression, the second statement has become the legal foundation for

the decentralization agenda in contemporary Indonesia. Based on that statement,

Habibie’s administration enacted two Indonesian Laws (Law 22/1999 and Law

25/1999). These laws were monumental on two grounds. First, they introduced more

9

discretion for local governments both in the domain of fiscal and public political

privilege. Second, they are the main references for the entire agenda of contemporary

Indonesian decentralization, including local government accounting and budgeting

reform.

Furthermore, through President Instruction No.7/1999, President Habibie

introduced a mandatory reporting to measure performance accountability of

governmental agencies through a report known as LAKIP (Laporan Akuntabilitas

Kinerja Instansi Pemerintah). The report requires any Indonesian governmental

agency, including local governments, to prepare their programmes based on

performance orientation as well as to report their performance achievement through

LAKIP. Within this reporting scheme, Indonesian governmental agencies, for the first

time, need to perform strategic planning through formulating statements of vision,

mission and strategies to be used as the basis of their programmes and activities.

Thus, for Indonesia, the introduction of LAKIP could be claimed as a

commencement of NPM. NPM is even understood more flexibly as any initiative to

make public sector more responsive to the market.

In fact NPM had been introduced earlier in Indonesia. It was even before

the enactment of the People Consultative Assembly’s statement XI/1998. The

Indonesian government had introduced PAKTO 88, a deregulation policy package to

relax the financial sector (banking) from previous policies. Thus, the embryo of

NPM in Indonesia was introduced in 1988. However, only after the legislation of

Law 22/1999 and Law 25/1999 in 1999, was the NPM significantly implemented in

Indonesia.

Unlike the previous local government law (Law No. 5/1974), the Law No.

22/1999 offers wider discretions to local government. To a certain extent, it even

10

seems to follow a federalist state model rather than an autonomy model within a

unitary state. For instance, according to article No. 7 of the law, local governments

have all the authority to manage governmental affairs except in areas of foreign

policy, defence and security policy, monetary and fiscal policy, religious policy, and

a number of special policies considered critical and strategic that remained in the

jurisdiction of central government.

To improve the local government’s capacity in serving their local

constituents, the new Indonesian governments, from Habibie’s administration until

the current government, introduced legal regulations and policies in relevant areas. A

document containing a joint agreement was made by the Minister of Home Affairs

(MoHA) and the State Minister of Development Planning (SMDP) to specifically

support the decentralization scheme. The document elaborates a number of initiatives

that should be carried out under the decentralization programs. Among them are: (1)

development of legal regulations needed to facilitate decentralization, (2)

development of local governmental institutions, (3) development of local

government personnel, (4) development of local government finance, (5) capacity

building for local parliament, and (6) development of local and regional economy. It

is easily understood that Local government accounting and budgeting are critical for

supporting the fourth initiative. They are viewed as critical to enable local authorities

to plan, execute and report their accountability to their stakeholders. In this regard,

the Indonesian government followed it up by introducing PBBS and accrual

accounting through Government Regulation (GR) 105/2000. Based on GR 105/2000,

the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) issued the Statement of the Minister of Home

Affairs No. 29/2002 (domestically known as kepmendagri 29/2002) as the formal,

more practical guideline to implement the GR. Accordingly, it is argued that the

11

introduction of GR 105/2000 was the gateway of local government accounting

reform in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, there are differences among NPM observers in using the term

“accounting reform.” Andrews (2004), for instance, used it to epitomize the adoption

of performance based budgeting (PBB) systems by the United States local

governments. Caperchione (2003), Christiaens (2003) and Ryan (1999) employed the

term to represent a change in local government accounting systems from cameralistic

(cash basis) to a business-like model (accrual basis). However, they share a common

understanding that the word “reform” connotes the newness, improvement, or

implementation of an object having extensive impacts on the existing condition.

Following that, this study uses accounting reform to indicate both changes, i.e. the

change in local government accounting from single entry cash basis accounting to

double entry accrual accounting, and the change from the traditional line item

budgeting system to performance based budgeting system. The approach used by this

thesis is strongly supported by the fact that these changes are legally backed by a

similar set of Indonesian laws and regulations such as GR 105/2000, statement of

MoHA No. 29/2002, Law 17/2003, as well as Law 1/2004. Another reason, as

pointed out by Othman et al (2007), is that governmental accounting is always a

budgetary accounting. This is because no unbudgeted governmental transaction is

allowed within a governmental agency. The budget is a legal instrument of the

government to fund its activities. Thus, the governmental accounting system always

facilitates budget preparation as well as recording and reporting budgeted financial

transactions. Therefore, although initiatives to use PBBS could be clearly separated

from activities relating to accrual accounting, in reality, both are so closely

interconnected. The product of PBBS becomes the direct input of accrual accounting.

12

From accountability point of view, PBBS and accrual accounting are

deemed as basic tools for improving governmental accountability. The PBBS

enhances accountability, effectiveness and efficiency of local government revenue

generating, spending and investments at their planning stage, whereas accrual

accounting is a part of internal control mechanism that protects governmental

organizations from committing fraud. Accrual accounting is also believed to be the

effective tools to ensure that the government will be more responsive to market

demand or customers. Since accrual accounting is more auditable, it helps local

government to disclose relevant information to interested parties so that the local

government may obtain its political legitimacy.

It is implied that good governmental budgeting and accounting systems are

not only optional, but are imperative. In the case of Indonesia, researching PBBS

without accrual accounting is theoretically possible, but it is not practically

beneficial. In the words of Guthrie, Parker and English (2003) as well as Broadbent

and Laughlin (1998), the development of the current Indonesian local government

accounting reform is in the threshold of “New Accounting,” an NPM product in the

domain of public sector accounting which is philosophically based on

“managerialism” and a strong orientation to accountability in the management.

1.0.3 Organizational Perspectives of Accounting Reform

The role of accounting in any organization is vital. Yet, its influence

embraces various facets of organization. Meanwhile, the transformation from

traditional and line item budget to PBB as well as the transformation from cash basis

and single entry accounting to double entry and accrual accounting in the Indonesian

local government is a real manifestation of accounting reform. Thus, it is speculated

that such reform will result in an organizational changes within the local government

13

organization. Senge (1999) as mentioned by Heller (2003, p. 416), defines

organizational change as a combination of “inner shifts in people's values,

aspirations, and behaviors with outer changes in processes, strategies, and systems

(p. 15)”. Thus, only change that entails a hybridization of the internal and external

dimension of an organization can be recognized as organizational change.

Alternatively, as mentioned by Jones (2001), organizational change is “the

movement away from a present state toward a future state.” Combining these two

definitions, a new understanding can be obtained in which organizational change

basically involves any movement or alteration from a certain state of organizational

element, either in the inner parts of the people within the organization or the outer

part such as the process and structure toward a desired new state.

Organizational change normally interlinks four interdependent areas;

namely (1) human resources, (2) functional resources, (3) technological capabilities,

and (4) organizational capabilities (Jones, 2001). Consequently, organizational

change influences and is influenced by the quality of these four areas controlled by

the organization. It can be speculated, therefore, that when the accounting reform

results in an organizational change, the final mode of change depends on the quality

of these areas and their quality of interactions among them. To illustrate that the

information, including financial information carried by budget and accounting, is

powerful and the impact of its change is spectacular, Thompson and Miller (2003, p.

329) argue that the change in the mode and quality of information usage was the

responsible factor behind two revivals of capitalistic (market) world economy, i. e. in

pre 1913 and the beginning of 21st century. They said:

“What were the changes in technology that caused bureaucracies outperform markets? Here, the surprising answer is changes in organizational arrangements themselves; that is, changes in organizational design, personnel systems, operational engineering, accounting systems, and control technologies. This answer reflects the current fashionable view among economists that the comparative

14

advantage of institutional arrangements boils down to a question of information costs and that actual arrangement are solutions to information problems—the costs associated with search, bargaining, monitoring, and enforcement. Hence, transformations organizational arrangements must be largely driven by changes in information costs. (Basic texts on information costs include Arrow, 1969; Bazel, 1982; Milgrom & Roberts, 1992; Williamson, 1985, 1990.)”

According to this statement, the mode in information cost (to search,

bargain, monitor, and enforce) that eventually determines the change in organization.

The transformation into the new local government budgetary and accounting systems

brought by the reform is to provide local government decision makers with more

relevant, complete, accurate, in time, and transparent information about financial

matters that needed in economic decision making such as information about the cost.

The information produced is also useful for the legal responsibility settlement so that

the organization will become more, effective, efficient and accountable. The change

in efficiency, according to Thompson and Miller (2003) is a potential driver affecting

organizational change.

Thus the successfulness in implementing budget and accounting puts local

government in a better position to improve other areas. As these areas are

interdependent, the success of accounting reform tends to produce organizational

change. The values and practice such as transparency, competition, performance

orientation, contracting out and the utilization of market price as the only fair

measurement in exchange transactions of goods and services enforced by the reform

are assumed to be an effective means to change the behaviour and culture of

adopting local government towards a more compatible condition with that demanded

by NPM. However, within a reform adopter, some parties may be shocked by the

introduction of these organization norms, values, and practices. At the individual

organization level, their effectiveness as enablers depend on many factors such as

15

current staff competency, culture, information literacy, and the legacy of the old

institution.

Meanwhile, within NIS, or more exactly neo institutionalism (Greenwood &

Hinings, 1996) which is followed by this study, an organization can not be

recognized merely as a technical or economical entity. It is social, cultural and

political (Carruthers, 1995). Thus, it does not necessarily follow economic

imperative for optimum efficiency. Since organization is surrounded by its

environment, legitimacy from its environment, i.e. technical and institutional

environment, is vital. However, the legitimacy is not automatically gained through

acting rationally (efficiently). The most significant element of such legitimacy from

institutional environment is organizational conformity to institutional environment

characteristics. The more conformities shown by an organization to its institutional

environment, the more legitimate the organization is.

Since legitimacy is vital for organizational life, an organization is

persistently in its attempt to gain its legitimacy by institutionalizing environmental

elements (ideas, logics, practices, techniques, habits) into the organization so that

they become its own institutions. In that, it resembles the characteristics of its

institutional environment (isomorphism). Following NIS, institution is a rule-like

reference for collective action in the organization (DiMaggio & Powell, 1991; and

Jepperson, 1991). DiMaggio & Powell (1991) introduce three ways for an

organization to become isomorphic with its institutional environment; coercive,

mimetic, and normative. Whatever way is followed by an organization in adopting

new element from its institutional environment, once it has been institutionalized as

an institution, the institution takes the role of stabilizer and harmonizer. It produces

“normality” within the organization vis - a - vis its institutional environment. Thus,

16

what is produced is stability and not organizational change. At this point, earlier new

institutionalists differ from later institutionalists. For the later institutionalists,

stability oriented is seen as an insufficient part of the theory that should be revived.

The earlier point of view, for example, can be understood from DiMaggio’s

argument about institutionalism. According to DiMaggio (1991, p. 268),

institutionalism:

“provides a one-sided vision of institutional change that emphasizes taken-for-granted, non directed, nonconflictual evolution at the expense of intentional (if boundedly rational), directive, and conflict-laden process that define fields and set them upon trajectories that eventually appears as “natural” development to participants and observers alike” (DiMaggio, 1991, p. 268).

The way an organization’s struggle to have new element from institutional

environment as institution is labelled as institutionalization. According to Meyer &

Rowan (1991), institutionalization is a social process by which an organization’s

programmes, structures and policies obtain “rule-like-status” as legitimate parts of

the organization. NIS assumes that institutionalization is rather static, non-mutually

responsive and puts the organization on the passive side in confronting pressures

from the institutional environment or organizational field.

This study does not completely follow such an opinion, but rather on later

version of NIS works performed by Oliver (1991), Greenwood & Hinings (1996),

Lawrence (1999), and Hoque (2005) which enrich NIS to be a powerful theory to

explain the inner dynamics of organization during institutionalization. Since the

institutional environment is assumed to be dynamic, while new elements from

institutional environment continuously challenge the institutionalized element, as a

result, there is a pressure to instil new elements while at the same time there is also

the power to resist or to respond to the pressures in the best mode that organization

can perform. Hence, institutionalization is the place where the power of creativity,

innovation, and pioneering (entrepreneurship) which are coloured by internal conflict

17

to create uniqueness, are confronted with institutional pressures that force

organization to be alike (isomorphic). The final state resulting from this process is

basically unique to an individual organization, at least in its degree of attachment to

institutional environmental characteristics. In some cases, institutionalization may

produce a highly attached (tightly coupled) condition where the existence of

“window dressing” is minor. In other cases, institutionalization may result in a loose

coupled (decouple) situation where the organization tries to show its conformity to

institutional demand, not by performing substantial elements of such requirement,

but rather going behind its artificial appearances. In line with such reasoning,

instrumentality (or ceremoniality) of the institution within an organization depends

on several factors, such as the way a new element from institutional environment is

institutionalized by the organization, the internal characteristics of the organization

such as its dynamics, and the availability of the institutional entrepreneur as well as

its organization culture.

Until recently, however, a scientific gap has existed. First, there were only

limited academic works exploring NPM in Indonesia. Most research in this area is

not academic but parts of NPM official reports prepared by staff of international

donor agencies like the ADB, IMF, the World Bank, GTZ, as well as CIDA. Some

works in NPM utilizing NIS or institutionalism do existed, among others Covaleski

& Aiken (1986), Carruthers (1995), Brignall & Modell (2000), Burns (2000), Burns

& Scapens (2000), Modell (2001), Dollery (2001), Hussain & Hoque (2002),

Covaleski, Evans, Luft, & Shields (2003), Hoque (2005), Siti-Nabiha & Scapens

(2005), Pedersen & Dobin (2006), James (2006), Elwood & Newberry (2007),

Ezzamel, Hyndman, Johnsen, Lapsley, & Pallot (2007), and also Dambrin, Lambert

18

& Sponem (2007). However, Indonesian scientific works in the area that employed

New Institutional Sociology is nonexistent.

Secondly, the case study approach in Indonesian accounting studies is

relatively new. It was not popularized before some Indonesian accounting scholars

from Australian and British Universities pioneered it through various perspectives of

qualitative research around 2000s. Academic works in NPM using case studies as

their approach are still limited. Among others are the works of Wibawa (2002) and

also Mahmudi & Mardiasmo (2004).

Thirdly, since the introduction of the processual approach in qualitative

research, as pioneered by scholars such as Pettigrew (1997), Dawson (1997),

Hinings (1997), Woiceshyn (1997), there have been only a few studies in accounting

or NPM employing such approach, for instance Funnell (1998), James (2006), and

Jones (2006). One study was performed by an Indonesian (Kurnia & Johnston,

2000), but its locus of study was the Australian grocery industry. Strongly dominated

by quantitative traditions, the qualitative approach, specifically based on case studies,

do not appear to be so popular among Indonesian accounting researchers. In this

context, this study can be as deemed to file this gap.

Fourth, since NIS is claimed to be unable to understand change in an

individual organization, most studies employing NIS focus on the organizational

field as their unit of analysis. Only after the publication of Oliver’s work (1991) in

the Academy of Management Review which was then strengthened by the work of

Greenwood & Hinings (1996) and Lawrence (1999), did accounting works

employing neo institutionalism emerged. Among others are the work of Hoque

(2005), and Ezzamel et al. (2007).

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The following NPM studies in Indonesia are considered relevant. Alhough

they are not necessarily similar in the approach or setting as this study, some are

close to its main issue, for instance those performed by Bastian (1998),

Prodjoharjono (1999), Mardiasmo (1999), Imbaruddin (2003), Afiah (2004) and

Rosidi (2007). Prodjoharjono, investigates Indonesian local government accounting

by employing Luder’s modified contingency model as the basis of analysis.

Mardiasmo’s work (1999) explores the impact of Indonesian central and provincial

government intervention on local government budgetary management, whereas

Bastian (1999) studies about Indonesian privatization policies. Imbaruddin (2003)

looks at the institutional capacity of local government in Makasar. Meanwhile, Afiah

(2004) uses the non-parametric path analysis to examine the influence of local

government apparatus and local parliament members’ competence, budgeting and

accounting information system to information quality and good governance in West

Java. The work of Rosidi (2007) connects leadership typologies, i.e. transformational

versus transactional, with the success of managing performance based budgets in

East Java local governments. None of them, however, employs the institutional

theory.

There are three other Indonesian NPM studies that are significant and

should be mentioned. First, the work of Wibawa (2002), which explores the

implementability of NPM within Regency’s administration. Second, the work of

Dwianasari, Ririn & Mardiasmo (2004) that investigates the effect of the relationship

between the budgetary and decentralization structure on the managerial performance

of local government agencies by treating organizational commitment as the

intervening variable. Third is the work conducted by Mahmudi & Mardiasmo (2004).

Instead of investigating the implementability of accrual accounting or performance

20

based budgeting, this work looks at how the performance of local governments in the

era of autonomy is empirically measured.

It is obvious that, from these nine studies, four are qualitative, i.e.

Prodjoharjono (1999), Mardiasmo (1999), Bastian (1998), and Mahmudi &

Mardiasmo (2004), while the other five are quantitative. From the qualitative studies,

the work of Prodjoharjono is the closest one to this case study in term of the main

issue investigated and the research approach or strategy employed. The difference is

the unit of analysis used in Prodjoharjono’s work. Although, the case organizations

selected are limited to three districts (one in West Java, one in Kalimantan, and one

in Celebes), they are deemed to represent Indonesia as a whole. This is because of his

commitment to follow Yin’s comparative case model, placing his study as “rather

positivistic qualitative case” where generalization remains as its orientation. The

theory employed to inform the case is Luder’s modified contingency model.

According to this model, there are basically four responsible factors behind the

success or failure of a government’s innovation to shift its model of accounting

towards accrual one. These are stimuli, expectation of change within information

users as well as change behaviour within information producers, both of which are

classified as structural factor, and implementation barriers (Luder, 1992). Consistent

with this model, a government (country) is typified as more or less favourable to

carry out accounting reform depends on the existence and the quality of those factors

surrounding the reforming government. Albeit these studies are scientifically

valuable, however none of them applied institutional or processual approach. Due to

the closeness of Prodjoharjono’s work (1999) with this case study, some excerpts

from his work are presented below.

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Employing Luder’s model, Prodjoharjono found that Indonesia is classified

as an unfavourable place for successful accounting reform. The legal system, size of

jurisdiction, lack of financial resources, and lack of qualified staff were claimed to be

responsible factors behind such unfavourableness. Factors such as poor project

coordination and heavy intervention by the Ministry of Finance toward the

jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs were also identified as other responsible

factors behind the failure of accounting reform conducted by the Ministry of Finance

in 1985-1993 (Prodjoharjono, 1999).

This study is different in many respects. First, this study, using the

processual approach, it examines the process of Indonesian local government

accounting reform from the New Institutional Sociology perspective. Accordingly,

this study is not ahistorical. The temporal (time) aspects as well as spatial (place)

aspects become important factors to understand the contextuality of the

institutionalization of the reform. Second, rather than being based on survey, this

study is designed as case study of a single organization, an Indonesian local

government whose pseudo name is Ratan Ombo Regency (hereafter is known as

ROR). Since 2002, the case organization has been implementing the reform,

therefore that the recency and the contextuality of the case are better as compared to

post hoc studies conducted through survey.

1.1. Research Objective and Questions

The Indonesian local government accounting reform is a national agenda with a

single implementation model, it is top-down, radical, and coercive. However, most of

studies investigating the reform are quantitative in nature. In addition, none of them

is based on NIS perspective or employed processual approach. As such, there is a

lack of in-depth knowledge about the reform, for instance regarding the

22

institutionalization process of the reform, or about the impact of the new systems

brought by the reform on corresponding organization. Such issues need an in-depth

investigation. Thus, an interpretive case study specifically investigating the

institutionalization of the reform in a local government level is considered important

to narrow the gap in such area of study.

Guided by the notion of neo institutionalism perspective, qualitative case

methodology, processual approach, and the development of local government

accounting reform in Indonesia as a form of NPM implementation, this study selects

institutionalization of accrual accounting and performance based budgeting in Ratan

Ombo Regency as the main issueto be examined. The main objective of this research

is to get an in-depth understanding about the institutionalization of accrual

accounting and performance based budgeting carried by the case organization. It is

expected that through this study “the what”, “the how” and “the why” of the

institutionalization of new local accounting and budgeting at ROR brought by

contemporary Indonesian accounting reform could be well understood. In reaching

such objective as well as to guide the way the research is conducted, a series of

research questions are formulated as follows:

1. Why has Indonesian Government reformed its local government accounting

and budgeting systems? What are the characteristics of and the value

underlying the Indonesian local government accounting and budgeting

reform?

2. Who are the players behind the Indonesian local government accounting and

budgeting reform?

3. How is the reform viewed by focal parties in the case organization; and has it

been institutionalized?

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4. Does the reform lead to organizational change?

This study is very significant both from the theoretical perspective as well

as for practical reasons. First, this study fills the gap in the area of NPM, qualitative

study, institutional perspective, and the processual approach in Indonesia with an

Indonesian case which to date are few in number. Secondly, in the institutionalism

context, it is also an attempt to extend existing opportunities of applying NIS at the

individual organization level with recognition of the inner dynamics during

institutionalization. The opportunity offered by this study in applying NIS at the

individual organization level will be a valuable theoretical contribution for studies in

accounting and management in general since the object of most studies is the

individual organization level.

In the practical domain, specifically in the public sector area, this study

significantly contributes contextual understanding about how new budgeting and

accounting system are adopted and institutionalized within an Indonesian local

government. Though it is not this study’s main purpose to generalize its findings, but

recognizing that the situations taking place in ROR may resemble with what happen

in other Indonesian local governments, such contextual understanding is very useful

for other adopters. ROR’s experience may plot useful route for any late reform

adopters to adopt a better strategy and approach in their journey of reform.

1.2 The Outline of the Thesis

This thesis consists of eight chapters, and is organized as follows. Chapter one is the

introduction. In this chapter, the background of the study demonstrates empirical and

theoretical analysis, which leads to the main problem of the research as well as

research questions, research objectives, research method and also elaboration of

24

contribution from research. This chapter is concluded by a presentation of outline of

the study.

Chapter two provides a literature review on two main related issues of this

study, namely (1) New Public Management (NPM) and (2) accounting reform. The

chapter briefly discusses the development of NPM in general, and as it goes further,

the chapter embraces accounting and/or budgeting reform in particular. The

applicability of accrual accounting and performance based budgeting in local

governments is then discussed.

Chapter three discusses issues related to new institutional sociology (NIS).

The opening part of this chapter discusses the core idea of NIS, which is followed by

an extensive discussion of NIS, including the development of NIS, its relationship

with Old Institutional Economics (OIE), Neo Classical Economics (NCE) and New

Institutional Economics (NIE). This discussion is to construct a clear

interconnectedness between various strands of institutionalism in social sciences

influencing the position and the development of NIS. Since NIS is mainly concerned

with the process of institutionalization, several extended new institutional theories

are also considered by this study. Among them are the work of Oliver (1991) which

introduces strategic organizational response typologies during the process of

institutionalization, and the work of Dillard, Rigsby & Goodman (2004) that

combines NIS with Gidden’s structuration theory to identify duality in the

institutional process. After evaluating the superiorities and shortcomings of each, a

logical justification for using NIS is provided.

Chapter four is designed to explore the research methodology. The chapter

commences by a discussion about the differences in philosophical background

behind quantitative and qualitative research. The discussion is then continued by